


The Hanging Tree

by MementoMoriPontifexMortis



Category: Hetalia: Axis Powers
Genre: Death, M/M, Mentions of Murder
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-04-21
Updated: 2014-04-21
Packaged: 2018-01-20 07:37:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Major Character Death, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 738
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1502117
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MementoMoriPontifexMortis/pseuds/MementoMoriPontifexMortis
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"Are you, are you coming to the tree/where they hung up a man they say murdered three/strange things did happen here/no stranger would it seem/if we met up at midnight at the hanging tree." </p><p>As fate would have it, death was nothing new in this town. (A story of death told in five parts)</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Hanging Tree

**Author's Note:**

> Short story written for the song "The Hanging Tree" from the Hunger Games.

**

I.

Nikolaj padded after his executioner, his hands tied behind his back. Those who followed after them cheered as if they were happy to be taking the life of him. Nikolaj could see how that was, him being the man he was facing the crowd he had down wrong. But of course, he had no care, no love, no world in this life anymore so he would let them hang him.

II.

It was a story, Eduard later learned, that kept that old barren tree from being torn down. The whole town believed the story, from old man to young child, and so Eduard, curious about what was with the tree, researched it.

Apparently, centuries ago, on the cusp of the Autumn eve, a man in the village went crazy and killed three men. When confronted, he allowed himself to be chained and hung on the tree in the village's center, but it was said that on the Autumn eve, ever year, the man would go back and call out for his lover. Blinking to himself, Eduard decided that he wanted to stay out there one night near Autumn.

III.

Eduard shivered to himself as he waited, Autumn Eve came and he set himself right near the tree where they said that they hanged a man who murdered three. There was a bench near the tree where people sat as some couples thought it was romantic. What was romantic about murder and death Eduard had no idea, but still whatever was comfortable with the people of this weird town. It was midnight, the town clock rang and Eduard waited, waited for the sound of the murderer to tell his lover to flee.

He laid down on the bench, waiting and waiting, until his eyes became heavy and he began to see things, mainly a rope hanging from the tree. Eduard closed his eyes and in his mind he began to recite some of the story. _ **And every Autumn Eve, a rope would be hung on the lowest branch so that his lover, whoever she'd be, be able to reach it so she'd be able to join her lover in the afterlife.**_

IV.

_are you coming?_ A voice on the wind whispered and Eduard shot awake, it was 12:30, and he had fallen asleep at some point.  _come so we can be free._ Getting to his feet, Eduard walked around the dark tree, a small fog settling into the woods behind it. He wondered where the voice was coming from as he saw no one but that didn't stop him from staying. He continually walked around the tree, his intrigue peeked. Where are you? Eduard wondered to himself before he saw it.

Standing in front of the tree was a tall blonde man who wore a long black coat with a red inside. Walking from behind the tree Eduard stood in front of the gentleman who looked directly at him, smiling,  _you've come._ The voice on the wind spoke and Eduard nodded.  Where had he seen this man before? As the sight was familiar.  The blonde man held out his hand, and Eduard grabbed it, allowing the man to lead him to the bench where he directed Eduard to stand.

The rope hung in front of him.

V.

The stories were wrong, the janitor of the college thought as he pulled another body from the tree.  And they should really change the book's information. It only lead this same person to their death. No matter how happy they were.  How this town continued to let the same person die over and over again, was beyond Berwald, who himself wouldn't let his lover to die with him. Though, having to take the same body down every 17 years, was starting to burn on him, and left Berwald wondering  how to change the story:

“The man murdered three for hurting his lover, who was forced to watch him be hanged. After being hanged, the man came back over and over, coaxing his lover into suicide but the fates had no desire for his lover to be dead and continued to take him from the afterlife and reborn him, causing the man to come back and continually coax the young lover into taking his life.” The janitor spoke, adding, “Hoping that suicide would finally keep them together but it never has and the young lover keeps coming back here to die.”

 

 


End file.
